My Hands Came Away Red

How do you feel about book recommendations?  I have such mixed feelings.  On the one hand, I am excited to get a recommendation--to know that someone else really enjoyed a book and hope that I will also enjoy it.  On the other hand, I'm unsure if I will have the same taste as the recommender and I'm even afraid that having expectation heightened will cause a book to fall flat.

Fellow blogger Sherry had a fun idea.  She invited people to share their favorite books they read in 2012 and she would give them recommendations for 2013. She suggested I might enjoy My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay.  I was intrigued by the description, so I ordered it and eagerly anticipated its arrival.

I was not disappointed! (hurray!)  The author sucked me right into the story of a group of teenagers who took a mission trip to Indonesia to build a church building in a remote village.  As conflict between Muslim and Christian populations increased, the teenagers escaped into the jungle.

I liked the simultaneous conflict in the story of man vs. nature and man vs. self.  Not only did these teenagers have to learn to survive in the face of malaria, wild animals, and foraging for food, but they also were forced to dig down deep into who they were and how they were going to handle a traumatic encounter.

The author's bio describes her as a forensic psychologist who provides "psychological and spiritual support to humanitarian workers" and this experience is evident in her characterization.  I really enjoyed the realistic portrayal of different people, different personalities, and their unique reactions to times of stress and life-threatening situations. It makes me wonder how I would respond in a similar situation--and how my two teenagers might respond.

I'm not always a fan of the christian fiction genre, but My Hands Came Away Red was a worthwhile read.